


Label

by hippocampers



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Homophobia, lonnie is uncool, lucas and will have cute star wars sleepovers trust me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 11:52:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7933588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hippocampers/pseuds/hippocampers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He’s not sure when he started blushing a little each time he met Mike’s eyes, and he’s not sure if that’s an okay thing to feel.</p><p>He suspects it isn’t.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Label

Will isn’t sure when he started paying more attention to Mike than to any of the other girls in his class at school. He’s not sure when he started blushing a little each time he met Mike’s eyes, and he’s not sure if that’s an okay thing to feel.

He suspects it isn’t.

He suspects it means his dad might have been right all along.

But he wants nothing more than to surpass his dad’s expectations, wants to be the big, strong man his dad is and wants him to be. He doesn’t want to be a fag. He’s already small for his age, and his quiet, nervous personality makes him an easy target at the best of times. Liking boys would serve only to get him more unwanted attention and bruises.

So he pretends like there isn’t this anxious sick feeling in his stomach all the time, and when Dustin asks him who he likes in a stupid game of Truth or Dare, he just says the first female person to come to mind – Jennifer Hayes. It’s not like she isn’t _pretty_. Will is sure she’s very sweet. But he just doesn’t think he’s interested in girls.

Part of him thinks he’s a bit young to even be considering girls or boys or anyone at all. But another part of him thinks that it’s something innate, something he just _knows_ , whether that be at 12 or 22. Part of him just wants to ask his friends. When he thinks with that part, the sick feeling worsens, and he starts to sweat a little. Maybe not.

Throughout his time in the Upside Down, Will’s worries about who he is and what he might be lessen, predictably. It’s not really the time to think about sexuality when you’re in a paradoxical universe. He doesn’t think about anything but getting home, and how much he really _really_ wants his mom. It doesn’t cross his mind to think about if he likes this girl when Eleven appears, because all he sees is another living person, and hope.

And then he’s home, and not only is he dealing with nightmares and coughing up the occasional supernatural slug, but he’s back to worrying about his identity and this feeling that has only intensified now he’s home. Though Eleven isn’t there, Will can see that her absence is taking more of a toll on Mike that Lucas and Dustin.

In a quiet conversation with Lucas over cookies and Star Wars – because that’s what they do when they meet up without Mike and Dustin, it’s just their thing – Will is informed that Mike had kissed this mysterious girl, and that he had liked her in a different way to the others. He fights the childish tears that surface at this revelation, and puts on a half-hearted smile instead, murmuring something about him being happy for the two, but he knows the other boy sees straight through it. For a moment, he thinks Lucas is going to say something cruel – call him out on this weird crush – is it that? – on their best friend. But he doesn’t. He just passes Will another cookie and smiles with a hint of pity in his eyes.

“Not to make assumptions, man, but… it’s cool with us,” he says, tone more serious than Will is used to. “I mean, it’ll be weird, but so is the whole slug vomiting thing. Pretty sure we can handle whatever this is after everything else.”

And then he drops it, unpausing Star Wars and munching on a cookie. After a moment or pure terror, Will’s smile becomes a little more genuine. He’s not sure he can talk to them about these thoughts just yet; he needs to find a way to make sense of it himself first. But it makes the sick feeling diminish to know his friends won’t call him a fag or beat him up for it. He thinks that makes them better men than his dad could ever be.

**Author's Note:**

> The original word count for this was 666, and I would be lying if it didn't make me a bit uncomfortable.
> 
> Also, Will is a cutie. I think the whole "The Demogorgon. It got me," scene in the first episode kinda demonstrated how much Will looks up to and respects Mike, and I felt like there were little hints throughout the show that Will may not be heterosexual. I feel like he's more complex than we've seen yet.
> 
> As ever, I can be found on [tumblr](hippocampers.tumblr.com), where I post my fics. Prompts are welcome, since I struggle thinking of my own. Comments are always appreciated. Much love <3


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